Family Class Sponsorship
Spouses and Common-Law Partners
Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents may sponsor their foreign Spouse or Common-Law Partner (to meet this definition you must have been co-habiting for at least 12 months) to become Permanent Residents of Canada.
The Family Class process is designed for sponsored persons who are living outside Canada. If the person being sponsored is in Canada on a Temporary Work Permit or Study Permit you must apply under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada (SCPIC) Class instead. It's important to note that using the Family Class procedure is much faster than applying via Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class so it's always a good idea to apply before the sponsored person moves to Canada to take advantage of this route. In addition there is the right of Appeal under the Family Class whereas the SCPIC Class route does not provide this option.
A Canadian Citizen may be living outside Canada at the time they begin the sponsorship process provided they have plans to return to Canada once the Sponsored person secures a Permanent Resident visa. However a Sponsor who is a Permanent Resident of Canada (not a Citizen) must already be living inside Canada to sponsor.
Provided the sponsored person meet the definition of a Spouse or Common-Law Partner of the sponsor there are few other requirements to meet in order to be eligible to sponsor. The Sponsor must be over 18, not in receipt of social assistance and not in default of any previous sponsorship undertakings.
Sponsorship of Parents
Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents can also sponsor Parents to move to Canada. This process is much slower than Spousal sponsorship - processing times are typically over 3 years and sometimes much longer.
To sponsor a parent there is the additional requirement that the sponsor must be earning over the Minimum Income amount before they are allowed to sponsor. This income must be earned income (not savings) and must be earned from Canadian sources. The minimum income depends on family size but for a family of 4 people who wish to sponsor 1 parent the required minimum income is typically around $45,000 per year.
If the sponsor does not meet the minimum income requirement on their own then their Spouse or Common-Law partner can become a Co-Signer on the sponsorship application in which case the Sponsor's and Co-Signers incomes are added together for the purposes of the calculation.